Many conventional designs already exist for producing electricity by spinning the rotor assemblies of AC/DC generators, and some make use of natural forces, such as generators that use flowing water, as in hydroelectric systems, or by the use of wind-power, such as in wind turbine systems. There are also thermal systems drawing heat from the ground, which turns steam-powered turbines, which in turn rotate a generator to produce electricity. Solar powered electricity produced by systems that use photovoltaic solar panels are also commonly known. Such conventional designs suffer several disadvantages.
One disadvantage of such conventional designs is that they often rely on weather conditions to generate power. Hydroelectric power relies on the water supply and rainfall conditions. Wind turbines rely on wind conditions and weather systems moving through a given area. Thermal power will rely on the small abundance of hot-springs or other natural heat sources to produce the steam needed to operate the systems. Solar power can only be achieved in the daytime and often relies on direct sunlight for best results. Weather conditions can be unpredictable and often unreliable.
Another major disadvantage of such conventional designs is that they are usually fixed to one given location where predictable weather patterns can be forecast. With the exception of small portable solar panels, such systems are often fixed to the environment where they are originally installed and sometimes take up a large amount of space.